sub rosa

American  

[suhb roh-zuh] / sʌb ˈroʊ zə /

adverb

1. confidentially; secretly; privately.

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sub rosa British  

/ ˈrəʊzə /

adverb

1. in secret

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Etymology

Origin of sub rosa

First recorded in 1650–60; from Latin sub rosā literally, “under the rose,” from the ancient use of the rose at meetings as a symbol of the sworn confidence of the participants, based on the Greek myth that Aphrodite gave a rose to her son Eros, who then gave the rose to Harpocrates, the god of silence and secrets, to ensure that Aphrodite’s dalliances remained hidden

Example Sentences

The backbiting — and the sub rosa efforts to thwart their own president — led to constant personnel turnover, a dreary parade of firings, resignations and defenestrations.

From New York Times

But Poor can also claim a quirky bit of sub rosa fame, and when he revealed it over dinner that night, I nearly fell out of my chair.

From Washington Post

As a fan of “SCTV” in its original, late-night, almost sub rosa run, I have been in love with O’Hara’s work for a long time now.

From Los Angeles Times

“There is a lot of sub rosa sanctions enforcement going on with U.S. officials at State and Treasury and others,” Mr. Klingner said.

From Washington Times

One of Weinstein’s sub rosa retainers was an Israeli intelligence company called — no joke, Mr. Bond — Black Cube.

From Washington Post